Call for entries a Nature Writers Competition!

Write while the heat is in you. The writer who postpones the recording of his thoughts uses an
iron which has cooled to burn a hole with. He cannot inflame the minds of his
audience. ~ Henry David Thoreau
READERS, WRITERS, NATURALISTS, WANDERERS: Win a chance to attend a Nature Writers
Festival in the Himalayas!
The UNESCO Category 2 Centre for World Natural Heritage Management and Training, at the
Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun (www.wii.gov.in), is organising a two-venue festival
in February 2017: Celebrating Natural Heritage: In Literature, Arts & Culture. The event will
take place at the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, and the Great Himalayan National
Park, in Himachal Pradesh, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Natural Heritage Festival, the first of its kind in India, aims to celebrate Indias
spectacular natural heritage through creative arts. While the main focus will be on writing,
there will also be sessions on sketching/painting, cartoons, filmmaking. It will also highlight
the conservation ethos and nature in local culture through music, dance and untold stories of
the local communities that dwell in World Natural Heritage Sites. An exciting line up of
authors, scientists and filmmakers is also being organised more details about authors will be
sent out as the festival develops.
In the spirit of celebrating Indias long history of nature writing, and encouraging a
continuance of the tradition, our effort is to find among Indias youth; budding Nature
Writers, and young conservationists. Yes, we are organising a Nature Writing Competition!

We are looking for talent in writing and a passion for nature and conservation.
So send in your writing about nature (specifications and rules attached), and the best three
entries will get a chance to attend the festival at the Great Himalayan National Park, as well
as the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun. This includes participating in the workshops,
interacting with prominent authors, writers, filmmakers and scientists at the event, and a
chance to learn from them.All travel and accommodation costs will be covered.

RULES AND SPECIFICATIONS

Theme: Indias Natural Heritage
Your submission could be:
a) An essay, or a reflective piece related to your experiences in Indias forests and
wildlife areas
b) A piece of fictional nature writing, the theme being about ecology, nature, wildlife
c) A reflection about the importance of Indias World Natural Heritage sites (explained
below), their unique values, culture, and/or the threats they face.
d) A travelogue, centred around conservation, nature, culture, to any of Indias World
Natural Heritage sites
1

e) A portrait of an iconic species (for example elephant, tiger, one-horned rhino, the
western tragopan, Himalayan monal, gibbons) found in the WHS
About World Natural Heritage Sites
UNESCO seeks to encourage the identification, protection and preservation of cultural and
natural Heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity. This is
embodied in an international treaty called the Convention concerning the Protection of the
World Cultural and Natural Heritage, adopted by UNESCO in 1972.
Currently, there are seven Natural World Heritage sites (WHS) in India, and one mixed world
heritage site (that which contains elements of both natural and cultural significance). These
include:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)

Western Ghats in Kerela, Karnataka,Tamilnadu and Maharashtra

Keoladeo National Park, Rajasthan
Great Himalayan National Park Conservation Area, Himachal Pradesh
Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks, Uttarakhand
Sundarbans National Park, West Bengal
Manas Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam
Kaziranga National Park, Assam
Khangchendzonga National Park, Sikkim (Mixed world heritage site)

About us
The UNESCO Category 2 Centre on Natural World Heritage Management and Training for Asia
and the Pacific Region, has been established at Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun
with the mission to strengthen implementation of the World Heritage Convention in Asia and
the Pacific region through capacity building, research, dissemination of information, raising
awareness and network building for effective management and conservation of World Natural
Heritage ( http://www.wii.gov.in/unesco_category2_centre).
RULES
The competition is open to Indian citizens aged between 18-40 years. It must be individual
work, not collaborative.
Each participant can submit only one work. It must be in English. This may include
translation into English from any other language (authored by the entrant), in which case the
original may also be sent.
Entry must be original and unpublished.
The work should have a title.You may give the title of your story as the name of the
attachment, or if the title is long, the first three words.
Send the work in MS WORD format, in Times New Roman (12 point-space double or 1.5
format). No text boxes, figures, graphs, tables, photographs must be part of this document.
Illustrations, if created by the author herself/himself may be included. Try and keep the word
count within 2,000 and no longer than 2,500.
Give a summary of the work, or alternately write an introduction to the piece (under 200
words). This may be separate from the 2,500-word limit.

The author must give full name, age, address, in the entry form. Do not include it in the file
which has your work.
Send the submission form (downloadable below) and your entry to:
naturewriterscompetition2017@gmail.com

Submission form:(provide link)

The top three/ best entries will be announced on the UNESCO C2C website, where their
writing will also be published. They will be given certificates, and will be invited to be part of
Celebrating Natural Heritage: In Literature, Arts & Culture, which will be held at the
Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, and the Great Himalayan National Park in February,
2017.
If their work merits, the entries will be published as part of a souvenir/book by other already
published authors.
The WII/C2C reserves the right to publish, and to make available in the public domain, the
winning submissions.The decision of the jury is final and is not subject to appeal.
Please refrain from making enquiries in the interim period.

Timeline
1stweek of October 2016 National Wildlife Week
15thDecember: Deadline for submissions
15th January: Announcement of award

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for updates.

For queries, contact: Vaishali Rawat /Jyoti Negi at: naturewriterscompetition2017@gmail.com

Application form Nature Writers Competition

2017
UNESCO Category 2 Centre, Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun.

Name:
Age:
Date of Birth:
Address:
City/State:

Phone No. (Mobile)

Phone No. (Landline)
Email ID:
Title of your article:
Enclosed (hardcopy/softcopy):
Number of words:

I declare that the work I have submitted is original, and authored by me. It has not been previously
published in any newspaper, magazine, online magazine, journal or any such publication. I take full
responsibility in case of any dispute over it in the future.

Signature:

Please email the completed and signed application form along with the article
to naturewriterscompetition2017@gmail.com

Nature Writing Competition 2017

Jury
A jury of eminent experts is in the process of being constituted and would be notified
shortly.